Beijing

Beijing is a stunning mega-city with all the hallmarks of old China. Take a trip back in time by walking down rickshaw-lined Hutong alleyways or gaze at the majesty of the ancient Forbidden City. Finally, no trip to Beijing is complete without seeing the awe-inspiring Great Wall.

1/10Set foot in Beijing’s regal Forbidden City, ancient home to a long line of emperors

2/10Beijing is within easy striking distance of several sections of the Great Wall of China such as at Badaling, Juyongguan and Jinshanling

3/10While ancient, Beijing is also a thoroughly modern city as a walk around the skyscrapers of its Central Business District will attest

4/10Explore Beijing’s Summer Palace, the 700-acre royal retreat where the Imperial Family once spent their leisure time

5/10Feel the weight of history at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, a site of great political and cultural significance

6/10Set your sights on the incredible and circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests within Beijing’s immense Temple of Heaven

7/10Wooden carvings and screens in the reception hall of the Forbidden City’s Qianlong GardenPhoto: Courtesy of Palace Museum

8/10The Emperor Qianlong indulged his love of music in the Qianlong Garden theatrePhoto: Courtesy of Palace Museum

9/10Ceramic figures with an imperial yellow glaze on the gables of the Forbidden CityPhoto: Getty Images

10/10The Summer Palace pavilion used to be home to amazing festivals in years pastPhoto: Getty Images

1/10

Set foot in Beijing’s regal Forbidden City, ancient home to a long line of emperors

2/10

Beijing is within easy striking distance of several sections of the Great Wall of China such as at Badaling, Juyongguan and Jinshanling

3/10

While ancient, Beijing is also a thoroughly modern city as a walk around the skyscrapers of its Central Business District will attest

4/10

Explore Beijing’s Summer Palace, the 700-acre royal retreat where the Imperial Family once spent their leisure time

5/10

Feel the weight of history at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, a site of great political and cultural significance

6/10

Set your sights on the incredible and circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests within Beijing’s immense Temple of Heaven

7/10

Wooden carvings and screens in the reception hall of the Forbidden City’s Qianlong Garden

Photo: Courtesy of Palace Museum

8/10

The Emperor Qianlong indulged his love of music in the Qianlong Garden theatre

Photo: Courtesy of Palace Museum

9/10

Ceramic figures with an imperial yellow glaze on the gables of the Forbidden City

Photo: Getty Images

10/10

The Summer Palace pavilion used to be home to amazing festivals in years past

Photo: Getty Images

Things to do

Closed off from the public eye, the Forbidden City's Qianlong Garden has lain dormant for nearly a century under the care of the Palace Museum. This 18th century treasure, built for the Qing-era Qianlong Emperor as a planned retirement lodge where he could indulge his love of art, architecture and music, contains some of the rarest and most elaborate relics in the world.

The Qianlong Garden comprises 27 buildings in the north-eastern corner of the Forbidden City. A decade ago, a 20-year project between the Palace Museum and the World Monuments Fund was launched to restore the complex to its former glory.

The Qianlong Emperor's money-no-object brief to courtiers and craftsmen was simple: build a miniature version of the imperial palace, an aesthetic wonderworld, using the very best materials. The enclave also had the finest views: the highest point looks out over the orange roofs of the Forbidden City and towards Coal Hill north of the compound.

For all the intricate interior design and architectural extravagance, one of the emperor's favourite spots was a custom-built rockery containing grottoes, steep trails and a pagoda. It is a place of peace and solitude, with only birds singing to break the silence; it is possibly the quietest place in the entire city of 20 million people.

1/2Wooden carvings and screens in the reception hall of the Forbidden City’s Qianlong GardenPhoto: Courtesy of Palace Museum

2/2The Emperor Qianlong indulged his love of music in the Qianlong Garden theatrePhoto: Courtesy of Palace Museum

1/2

Wooden carvings and screens in the reception hall of the Forbidden City’s Qianlong Garden

Photo: Courtesy of Palace Museum

2/2

The Emperor Qianlong indulged his love of music in the Qianlong Garden theatre

Photo: Courtesy of Palace Museum

Things to do

Although Emperors of yore travelled in pomp and style when decamping to the cooler climes of the Summer Palace from the downtown Forbidden City, it was a desperately slow journey that took the best part of a day. Modern-day commuters have a speedier option: a subway that deposits passengers a few hundred metres from one of the city's most majestic imperial sites.

The Summer Palace, with its shaded greenery, was where the emperor fled to escape insufferable summers. The palace park benefited from a US$7 million renovation leading up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The Fragrant Buddha Pavilion, Long Corridor and Cloud Fairyland Hall were all given facelifts, leaving them in pristine condition; next is the Four Great Regions, a cluster of lama Tibetan temples which was recently reopened to the public.

As with most major attractions in China, the early bird catches the worm. In this case, arriving early guarantees the peaceful environment that would have prevailed during imperial times. Bring a picnic if you plan to spend any length of time in the expansive grounds – a perfect spot being the banks of the gorgeous Kunming Lake.

1/2Ceramic figures with an imperial yellow glaze on the gables of the Forbidden CityPhoto: Getty Images

2/2The Summer Palace pavilion used to be home to amazing festivals in years pastPhoto: Getty Images

1/2

Ceramic figures with an imperial yellow glaze on the gables of the Forbidden City

Photo: Getty Images

2/2

The Summer Palace pavilion used to be home to amazing festivals in years past

Photo: Getty Images

Things to do

We've chosen the must-see highlights of this fantastic city.

Eat

1949² - Jin Bao Jie

Imperial architecture was the inspiration for the design of 1949² – Jin Bao Jie. Here, Peking duck is the star, with three individual ovens fired by wood from 40-year-old date trees, giving the birds their distinctive flavour. The original 1949, a compound of restaurants and bars known as The Hidden City – located close to the Sanlitun nightlife zone – houses the original Duck de Chine, one of the first restaurants to reimagine the capital's most famous dish, Peking duck.

This branch of the Shanghai chain is housed in the Ch'ien Men 23 complex – five listed buildings that now serve as a hub of upmarket restaurants and bars. Lost Heaven Beijing specialises in Yunnan cuisine, which brings together foods from Tibet and the ethnic minorities along the fabled Tea Horse Road. In keeping with the food theme, the first- and second-floor walls are made of pu'erh tea bricks and the restaurant is filled with Yunnan crafts and totems of the Yao, Yi, Dai, Bai, Naxi, Tibetan and Miao ethnic cultures.

This museum's nondescript façade – hidden inside the commercial New Poly Plaza – misrepresents its treasure trove of cultural artefacts, many of which have been rescued and reunited throughout the years. Ancient bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties are displayed alongside Buddha statues dating back to the 5th to 8th century.

Take a stroll through one of Beijing’s many hutongs, the traditional courtyard alleys that dot the city. Nanluoguxiang in Gulou is one of the most popular ones to explore, thanks to the unique cafés and boutiques that sell anything from retro Chinese-style kitsch to hand-crafted wallets. For a quick break, dip into cozy Café Alba nearby to fuel up on espresso.

There seems to be something new opening all the time in Beijing's nightlife district. Roof terraces are popular during the warmer months. A rather down-at-the-heel block called Nali Patio has become home to a number of creative culinary talents, in particular Jorde Valles, whose updated take on Spanish classics at Agua – along with its sister rooftop terrace restaurant Fez – has a loyal following. A five-minute stroll away from Nali, along an alleyway that has street stalls serving exotic meat-on-a-stick dishes and a cast of intriguing night-owl characters, is the Village North shopping mall, with modern Sichuan restaurant Transit. Be sure to take a look to see what else is new here.

Drink

Apothecary

The capital's most dedicated bartenders treat their trade with reverence at this hip spot in the centre of Beijing's nightlife district. There's a huge range of cocktails on offer, all mixed to their original recipes and made with fresh ingredients.

China's contemporary-art scene is still a draw for collectors and art enthusiasts around the world. You can easily spend a day wandering round the many galleries here. Prepare to be alternatively bemused and captivated by what's on show.

The very soul of Beijing is its hutongs, the ancient alleyways that criss-cross the centre of the city. Wandering around these enchanting lanes is by far the best way to experience the capital's street life in all its raucous glory.

Location

Dongcheng & Xicheng districts

Eat

Cuisine Cuisine

Located in the Central Business District, upscale Cuisine Cuisine specialises in Cantonese food using seasonal ingredients. The interior design draws on the city's imperial past, and three main colours are used to represent the distinct lives and cultures of ancient China: gold for the palace; red for the officials; and grey for the commoners – manifested in golden embroideries on the ceiling, red leathers that adorn the walls and grey bricks which circled old villages and traditional courtyards.

Keep going north past the Forbidden City and you'll see Jingshan Park, once an imperial garden. The hill with its five peaks consists of the dirt dug up during the construction of the Forbidden City's moats during the Ming dynasty.

Location

Jingshanqian Dajie, opposite the north gate of the Forbidden City

See

The Great Wall of China

You can't leave Beijing without having stood atop China's most iconic monument. Mutianyu makes an easy day trip and with its imposing watchtowers and steep ramparts, it offers the classic vista of the wall snaking away over the nearby hills.

With breathtaking views of the Forbidden City below, Grill 79, on the upper floors of the China World Summit Wing hotel, provides a treat for discerning diners. Chef Ryan Sablan Dadufalza reinterprets original international flavours, including a take on the Spanish chilli con carne and nostalgic desserts such as milk and cookies. The restaurant keeps an extensive and very respectable wine list, but for a pre- or post-dinner drink, head upstairs to the Atmosphere lounge and bar for a creative cocktail or fine single-malt whisky.

Tucked away from the Sanlitun district, the husband-and-wife team of Mao Mao Chong offers more discerning clientele an international selection of drinks and nibbles. The cocktails are as fresh and inventive as the décor and are complemented by its warm and inviting vibe. The bar also occasionally features guest bartenders from some of the best restaurants and bars in Beijing.

Sitting at the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City earned its name because it was off-limits to mere mortals for five centuries. Now, anyone can walk in the footsteps of emperors through this vast palace opposite Tiananmen Square and view its extraordinary treasures.

Temple gives a contemporary twist to classic Mediterranean cuisine. Its stunning setting in a light-filled, artfully-converted former factory in the grounds of a 600-year-old temple encapsulates the mix of the ancient and modern that is Beijing.

S.T.A.Y. stands for "Simple Table [by] Alléno Yannick", the three-star Michelin chef of Le Meurice hotel in Paris. Chef Yannick Alléno's aim is to provide fine French food at prices that are not ruinously expensive. A highlight of S.T.A.Y. is shared-style dining on its Communal Table – a popular concept among families and close friends in France. Star dishes include black peppered Wagyu beef fillet served with gratin dauphinois, and pan-seared scallops with black truffle carbonara pasta. Meals are completed at the Pastry Library, where handcrafted pastries and desserts capture diners’ appetites and attentions in their glass display cases. The chef, who has a total of 17 restaurants around the world, set up the restaurant with his own staff and has been a regular visitor to ensure his exacting culinary standards are met and maintained.

The Temple of Heaven, constructed in 1420, was where the emperors worshipped and implored blessings for China. Built to conform to Taoist symbolism, the temple is famous for its feats of acoustical engineering. There is an echo wall, where whispers are carried effortlessly around the curved arena. The Triple Echo Stones are a marvel: stand on the first stone in the central path and clap to summon an echo. Two echoes are delivered on the second stone, and three echoes reverberate when clapping on the third stone.

Passengers departing the UK, and aged 12 to 15, are exempted from the UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) Tax, effective 1 March 2016. Passengers booking online can request an APD Tax refund by contacting the local reservations office or Global Contact Centres.

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